Just another week in Arad

Another week has come and gone, this one bringing with it the start of my second semester at WUJS. It wasn't an exciting week, but it wasn't bad either.

On Monday, we started our classes (except for ulpan, which began on Sunday). I signed up for "contemporary dilemmas in halachah," a title which makes me wonder how we will cover such a broad topic in just seven or eight weeks! On Wednesday afternoons, I have a diaspora literature class, which is absolutely fascinating so far. We had to read two stories written by an Australian Jewish author, semi-autobiographical accounts of his life as a new Australian after the Holocaust, as the child of refugees. This morning, I had a class called "Who's Who in the Zoo," which provides a look at political figures in the Israeli and Middle Eastern arena.

Other than classes, I've been involved in my music lessons. I'm starting to be able to play the piano just a little bit. I'm still pretty crappy at it, to be honest. Violin is much more fulfilling, because I get to play real pieces and not babyish crap. Singing is not the greatest, because despite all of the rain we get in Arad, it's still a very dry place. I have to drink a lot of water just so my voice doesn't go all funny.

This weekend, we were supposed to have a shabbaton in Jerusalem, but the place cancelled on us. So now we have an impromptu "Shabbat at WUJS," which basically means that we stay at the merkaz klitah like any other weekend, but unlike any other weekend, we get fed. I'm not yet sure this is a good thing, considering the quality of the food we normally get here.

That's about it. Time for bed!